Where America shops — in 6 maps

These maps show the regional differences in American retail

By

KaitlynWells

Bloomberg

Slide 1 of 8

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the scope of the data. Morgan Stanley’s retail atlas was limited to 119 retailers, and the maps reflect which of those 119 have the most locations in each state. Also, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico were grouped together.

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Driving across the United States, it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that this is a nation united by chain stores. But while the various corners of the country may all seem cut from the same strip mall, retail does remain a source of regional difference here.

MarketWatch crunched the data from Morgan Stanley’s annual retail atlas, which provides a breakdown of 119 of the country’s retailers in all 50 states. (Keep in mind that not all of the country’s retail chains were tabulated by Morgan Stanley.) On the following slides you’ll see which retailers — shoe stores, grocers, department stores, discount chains — dominate each state’s market based on total number of store locations. There are clear leaders: Just 33 retailers, or 27% of those surveyed by Morgan Stanley, are represented on our maps.

— By Kaitlyn Wells

Slide 2 of 8

Clothing stores

While Morgan Stanley compared store locations for 38 clothing and accessories retailers, it turns out just 10 of them dominate the U.S.

The southeast seems to love shopping at Cato Corporation
CATO, +1.29%
, while those in the west are more likely to see Ross Stores, Inc.
ROST, +0.44%

Interestingly, Zale Corporation
US:ZLC
, the maker of fine jewelry, is number one in Alaska/Hawaii/Puerto Rico and New York.

Slide 3 of 8

Non-clothing stores

Americans must really love their cars. Among 20 retailers that sell everything from home goods to building materials to sports equipment, automotive centers outpace the pack. The northwest, Midwest and south central states are more likely to see O’Reilly Automotive
ORLY, -0.40%
than its competitors, while the southeast is home to more Advanced Auto Parts outlets. And areas around the Great Lakes and Pacific coast are the domain of AutoZone
AZO, -0.11%
.

Auto shops do not dominate areas where the population is sparse, or where more residents rely on public transportation. New York, New Jersey, Alaska/Hawaii/Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. all seem to be more health-conscious as opposed to automotive conscious, since GNC
GNC, -0.32%
, the health-supplement store, outranks auto stores in those areas.

Slide 4 of 8

Grocery stores

No one grocer dominates the U.S. But eastern states seem more price-conscious than the west. Among the 5 grocers tabulated, Whole Foods, known for selling organic food at premium prices, is popular along the Pacific coast and Alaska/Hawaii/Puerto Rico, while discount grocers like Supervalu and Kroger take the top spots in 32 states throughout the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast and South central. Plus, it seems one state can’t make up its mind: New Hampshire is split between Fresh Market, which barely made the cut, and Sprouts Farmers Market.

Slide 5 of 8

Discount stores

While Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Vermont aren’t dominated by traditional grocers, they seem to be favoring discount stores. Maybe that’s because many of them actually sell grocery and personal care items.

This category of retailers fared well during the recession. Dollar General
DG, +1.23%
, which sells an eclectic mix of goods — although all aren’t as cheap as $1 — more locations than the other six discounters in nearly half of the U.S., or 23 states in all. But discount-giant Wal-Mart
WMT, +0.33%
managed to carve out a corner for itself too, claiming moreoutposts in Alaska/Hawaii/Puerto Rico, Texas, Nevada and Montana.

Slide 6 of 8

Department stores

A handful of big clothing retailers each claimed some piece of the American pie. J.C. Penney
JCP, +7.22%
has more stores in the center of the country, whereas much of the southeast is Kmart country.

Nordstrom Rack, the discounted version of Nordstrom
JWN, +1.41%
, rules a sliver in Washington, D.C. Kmart and Kohl’s
KSS, +2.90%
, meanwhile, rule a total of 27 states.

Slide 7 of 8

Athletic-shoe stores

While the atlas only looked at a handful of athletic-shoes stores, it’s easy to see why Morgan Stanley’s research was limited. In 35 states Foot Locker
FL, -0.60%
is more common, while the remaining states are more likely to be home to The Finish Line, Champs Sports, and Foot Action.

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